For over nine years, Neil and Joan have been spending their summers cruising the canals and rivers of Western Europe aboard their now thirty-one-year-old Dutch motor-cruiser, the “Estate.” This year they are again sharing their experiences with you.Shortly after purchasing our boat, Estate, in Holland in 2001, we also bought some old, Dutch, “clunker” bicycles. At least that’s how they look. ... Read Full Article
Boating in France: Warm and Sunny Burgundy
For over nine years, Neil and Joan have been spending their summers cruising the canals and rivers of Western Europe aboard their now thirty-one-year-old Dutch motor-cruiser, the “Estate.” This year they are again sharing their experiences. This is the second of Neil and Joan's 2010 posts. Check out last week's post .May 24, 2010Pouilly-en-Auxois proved to be a great starting point for ... Read Full Article
Boating in France: Cold and Wet in Burgundy
For over nine years, Neil and Joan have been spending their summers cruising the canals and rivers of Western Europe aboard their now thirty-one-year-old Dutch motor-cruiser, the “Estate.” This year they are again sharing their experiences. May, 2010 Train strikes and volcanoes started our 2010 boating season. Once we got through those challenges, we had a couple of weeks of very ... Read Full Article
European Appetizers and Cocktails: France
Here are some popular Hors d’oeuvres in FranceCrudités are a common and tasty French appetizer. This simple dish consists of raw vegetables (typically carrots, radishes, and celery) that are soaked in a vinaigrette dressing overnight and served just as they are the next day. Sometimes hard-boiled eggs and black olives are added to the tray. An assiette de charcuterie ... Read Full Article
Boating in France: A Cruise on the Saone
The last cruise we wrote about this summer was on the Burgundy Canal from St. Jean du Losne to Dijon and back. We are currently in the middle of a cruise on the Saone river from St. Jean to Chalon sur Saone.There are some significant differences between cruising canals and navigable rivers. Perhaps the most notable is that on most rivers there are a lot fewer locks. Our Dijon canal cruise took ... Read Full Article
Boating in France: The Burgundy Canal to Dijon
Last week we decided we needed some time out of port and on the canal, so we headed up the Burgundy Canal towards Dijon. We have been to Dijon by train from St Jean de Losne a couple of times this summer; that’s only about a 30-minute trip. The trip by boat takes us two days for the 24 locks and 30 kilometers at 6 km/hour. Six years ago we cruised the entire 242 km. length of this canal and knew ... Read Full Article
When in France, Take a Burgundy Wine Tour
The Route de Bourgogne from Dijon to Santanay is not only beautiful, but a wine fancier's dream, a perfect place to tour the Burgundy wine region and and learn about wine making right in Burgundy, France. This is Burgundy country: rolling hills, lush valleys and vineyards as far as the eye can see. You can stop at many of the little "caves" along the route to sample the fine Burgundy wine. In ... Read Full Article
Discover Dijon, France
Dijon, France is a charming, walkable town that offers lots of interesting nooks and crannies for the adventurous tourist. There are several museums, and fascinating churches as well as shops and restaurants galore.Dijon is located in the heart of the Burgundy wine region of France, so the food is hearty and delicious"¦great cheeses, Beef Bourguignon and, of course Dijon mustard.Follow the ... Read Full Article